Delicate, briny, and sweet, it’s no surprise shrimp are the most popular seafood to cook in the United States. While a great shrimp recipe may call for little more than lemon and butter, we’ve collected our 50 best recipes with shrimp to show off just how delicious this crustacean can be.
Shrimp scampi, paella, shrimp cocktails, and dumplings just scratch the surface. They’re also the perfect thing to add to your crawfish boil. Shrimp cooks quickly and takes just a bit of time to prepare. Learn how to de-vein shrimp and you can get to making your favorite shrimp recipes in no time. But save those shrimp shells! They add the perfect hit of shrimpy flavor to your seafood soups, shrimp stocks, and cooking oils.
Shrimp is perfect for fried dishes as the crunch gives way to tender, succulent meat inside. Shrimp tempura is an incredibly popular dish but with our guide to perfect tempura, it is just as easy to make at home. Tiger shrimp, white shrimp, pink shrimp, and even prawns—there are so many kinds of shrimp to choose from and they all have distinctive tastes. We’ve rounded up our absolute best shrimp recipes here.
In China, this combination of shrimp, scallops, and crab is a special-occasion dumpling filling. The clean flavor and slippery texture of the shellfish are unobscured by any filler. Serve steamed dumplings directly from the bamboo steamers, since their delicate wrappers can break in transfer. Get the recipe for Steamed Mixed Shellfish Dumplings »Heami Lee
Seafood Soup with Ginger and Yuzu Kosho
Flavored with wine and aromatics, this broth is similar to a nage or poaching liquid—you only need a shallow pool of it in each bowl. The broth features red yuzu kosho, a Japanese condiment made from citrus, yuzu, and chiles, which adds a round, tart flavor that is hard to replace. In a pinch, add a little more chile and lime zest. If head-on shrimp are hard to find—or you’d rather not fight with fish heads on New Year’s Eve—nix them for more shelled shrimp. Get the recipe for Seafood Soup with Ginger and Yuzu Kosho »Christina Holmes
Chicken and Prawn Curry
Characteristic of the region’s curries, this intensely spicy one from chef Kevin Joseph of Durban’s The Oyster Box hotel gets its heat not from chiles, but pastes made of fresh garlic, ginger, and onions, plus lots of curry powder. Though not cooked long, the sauce is rich and thick thanks to heaps of ground spices and unsweetened coconut cream. Get the recipe for Chicken and Prawn Curry »Crookes & Jackson
Bittersweet satsumas, a citrus fruit native to Louisiana, brighten these pickled shrimp, which chef Justin Devillier of New Orleans’ La Petite Grocery spikes with Korean chile flakes. Substitute tangerines or any orange-related citrus and crushed red chile flakes, if necessary. Get the recipe for Pickled Shrimp with Satsuma »Christina Holmes
Stir-Fried Shrimp and Long Beans with XO Sauce
I like the shadows in this photo, and how it’s abstract but warm and inviting. This dish included an ingredient I wasn’t too familiar with—XO sauce—so I wanted the image to drag you in and make you want to learn more about it. Get the recipe for Stir-Fried Shrimp and Long Beans with XO Sauce »Matt Taylor-Gross
“Eating this dish makes me feel like I’m at home. It’s my mom’s specialty, and I remember helping her prep this as a child. It is served at every party [my family throws] and is eaten on its own for merianda, the Filipino equivalent of British Tea Time.” – Leah Cohen of Pig & KhaoGet the recipe for Philippine Noodle Stir-Fry (Pancit Bihon) »Matt Taylor-Gross
This lighter shrimp salad recipe is a substitute for the more traditional, but heavier, Italian roasted-eel salad. Roasting large red bell peppers adds a smokier element to the tangy, cured shrimp. Get the recipe for Grilled Shrimp and Roasted Peppers »Matt Taylor-Gross
Grilled Shrimp Summer Rolls
Juicy mango, buttery avocado, and lightly charred sweet shrimp get packed into rice paper along with crispy cabbage and cucumber for a summer appetizer that hits all the right textural notes. Prep the spicy, tart dipping sauce ahead to give the flavors time to meld. Get the recipe for Grilled Shrimp Summer Rolls »Matt Taylor-Gross
Sour Curry Soup with Shrimp
Light, tangy, and cooked with a modest amount of heat and any available seafood and fresh vegetables, kaeng som is an elemental and satisfying dish, and this curry from Pok Pok’s Andy Ricker is an easy recipe to master. Learn to make the shrimp-enriched broth, which leads with tart, pungent flavors but also delivers measured amounts of sweetness, salt, and spice, and you’ll begin to understand the balance in Thai cooking. Get the recipe for Sour Curry Soup with Shrimp »Joseph De Leo
Semi-dried, flat rice noodles, which are available online and in many Asian markets, are worth seeking out, as they hold their shape and texture better than the fully dried version. Get the recipe for Andy Ricker’s Pad Thai with Pork and Shrimp »Eva Kolenko
A classic Lowcountry breakfast dish, shrimp and grits also makes a splendid easy supper. Get the recipe for Get the recipe for Shrimp and Grits »Kat Craddock
Shrimp pulls double duty here: the shells are used to make the flavorful rundown sauce, and the meat is marinated with citrus and lightly cooked with the pasta. Get the recipe for Spaghetti with Shrimp Rundown Sauce »Jenny Huang
An Italian-American classic, shrimp scampi is a simple dish of sautéed shrimp tossed with a sauce of white wine, garlic, lemon juice, and butter, then served with pasta. Get the recipe for Shrimp Scampi »Farideh Sadeghin
Fragrant with lime juice and lemongrass, this hot and sour soup is based on a recipe from our friend Nancie McDermott, author of Real Thai (Chronicle Books, 1992). Get the recipe for Tom Yum Goong »Todd Coleman
LeRuth’s Red Shrimp Rémoulade
Spicy paprika and whole-grain mustard sauce coats plump shrimp in this classic New Orleans red rémoulade from the late chef Warren Leruth. Get the recipe for LeRuth’s Red Shrimp Rémoulade »Ingalls Photography
Shrimp With Spicy Herb Butter
The best way to enjoy this sweet Gulf shrimp dish, adapted from Donald Link’s Down South (Clarkson Potter, 2014), is with drawn butter for dipping. Get the recipe for Shrimp With Spicy Herb Butter »Andre Baranowski
Mother-daughter chef team, Kirsten and Mandy Dixon, turn this staple of Indonesian and Malaysian cuisine into an addictive snack and appetizer served at their rural Alaskan adventure lodges, Within the Wild. Get the recipe for Alaskan Shrimp Chips »
Shrimp and Pea Shoot Dumplings
These traditional shrimp dumplings are encased in har gow dough, glutinous dumpling skins that are opaque when raw and become luminously translucent once cooked. Get the recipe for Shrimp and Pea Shoot Dumplings »Maxime Iattone
Shrimp Tacos
Every element of this taco—inspired by those at Don Pepe Taqueria in Fresno—is amped up, from the red rice simmered in a blend of chicken stock and puréed tomatoes to the quick-marinated shrimp. Use large flour tortillas as tacos or wrap them into a burrito. Get the recipe for Shrimp Tacos »Dylan + Jeni
Briny, faintly spicy pickled shrimp are a staple of Southern cuisine. In this Georgia-inspired version, frozen raw shrimp are a fine substitute for fresh. Get the recipe for Pickled Shrimp »Todd Coleman
These delicious Malaysian dumplings stuffed with minced shrimp, scallions, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots are easy to make with store-bought gyoza (pot-sticker) wrappers. Get the recipe for Har Gao (Shrimp Dumplings) »Todd Coleman
Shrimp Crudo with Creme Fraiche, Apple, Chard, and Shallot
In Puglia, “crudo” refers to a wide range of raw seafood preparations, including whole uncooked gamberi rossi, the region’s large red shrimp, with their heads and tails intact. The sweet flavors of the shrimp flesh—and its slippery texture—are meant to shine through. Use only the freshest, highest-quality shrimp possible. Get the recipe for Shrimp Crudo with Creme Fraiche, Apple, Chard, and Shallot »Eva Kolenko
Gan Shao Xia
Delightfully sweet and tangy, these Shanghainese shrimp take under ten minutes to prepare. Get the recipe for Gan Shao Xia »Todd Coleman
A mix of dried shrimp, eggs, and tangy achiote makes an intensely savory topping for fried tortillas in this simple dish, eaten as an appetizer or snack in coastal Oaxaca. Get the recipe for Tostadas de Camaron Seco »Todd Coleman
Michelada con Camarones (Spicy Beer Cocktail with Shrimp)
In coastal Oaxaca, both fresh and dried shrimp appear in all kinds of preparations. Here, they bring texture and intense umami flavor to a classic pico de gallo. Get the recipe for Salsa con Camaron Seco »Todd Coleman
Vatapa
An adaptable stew from the Brazilian state of Bahia, Vatapa gets its luxurious texture and signature floral notes from coconut milk and palm oil. Get the recipe for Vatapa »Todd Coleman
